Paul Griffin

One collector is trying to find a single signature from every man who ever played for the Jazz — all 370 of them, from the 1974 New Orleans team to today. For many of them, this page is the only one on the internet. Here is Paul Griffin: what he did on the floor, a few things most people never knew, and every card that carries his name. If you own something he signed — or you know who might — there is a note at the foot of this page.

Small-town Michigan shaped him. At Shelby High School he anchored back-to-back Class C state championships in 1971 and 1972, then left Western Michigan as the Broncos' all-time leading rebounder after carrying them to their first NCAA tournament and a Sweet Sixteen run in 1976. The New Orleans Jazz grabbed him in the fifth round of that year's draft, and he gave the young franchise three seasons.

San Antonio acquired him in 1979, and there the forward found his identity — one of the 'Bruise Brothers,' the Spurs' famously physical front line alongside Dave Corzine and Mark Olberding. He stayed with the Spurs until his NBA career wound down in 1983.

HOW HE CAME & WENTNew Orleans drafted him 74th overall in 1976 and extended him in 1978. He went to San Antonio in July 1979 as compensation for the Jazz signing Allan Bristow.

Full name

Paul Arthur Griffin

New Orleans Jazz tenure

1976–79

Position

Forward

Born

1954, Shelby, Michigan

Height

6′9″ (206 cm)

Weight

205 lb (93 kg)

College

Western Michigan

Drafted

1976, 5th round (No. 74), New Orleans